Writing a Great Research Paper free essay sample

Review the entire program, or specific sections, as many times as you find necessary in order to master the material. Perhaps most importantly: Dont forget to take advantage of your pause button while viewing the program. Keep plenty of scrap paper handy so you can jot down ideas, work through concepts, and more. And finally, be sure to use the myriad onscreen graphics to take notes for yourself ? when youre done, youll have a notebook you can refer back to again and again. Writing a Great Research Paper: Picking an A+ Topic 1 DVD 1 her. 2 miss. Item #Vale-1914 price $49. 95 ISBN 1-57385-191. PUC 600459191498 copyright C 2007 Video Aided Instruction, Inc. TO all users of the Video Aided Instruction publication named above, permission is hereby granted to create one (1) paper imprint of this document per person. In addition, teachers and librarians may reproduce paper imprints Of this document in quantities not to exceed one hundred (100) imprints annually. 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Com/ trademarks Other Video Aided Instruction products include: 2 About Your Instructor Complete English Grammar Series 10 programs on 10 DVDs Karl Weber, M. A. , is an educator, editor, and bestselling author in fields ranging from business to politics to test preparation. He has worked on books with such noted figures as management guru Adrian Shallowly, Loses Hotels CEO Jonathan M.Ditch, and President Jimmy Carter. TO inquire about any of our products: web: videoaidedinstruction. Com email: [emailprotected] Com phone: 1-800 -238-1512 or 516-939- 0707 fax: 516-935-5552 mail: Video Aided Instruction, Inc. P. O. Box 332 Rosily Heights, NY 11577- 0332 Part 1: What Is a Research Paper? The Definition of a Research Paper A research paper is a paper that: presents an original approach to some academic topic, organized around a central thesis, using insights based on research, and citing sources in a scholarly fashion.Part 2: From Subject to Topic The Hierarchy of a Research Paper Research papers (and most examples of scholarly writing) follow the following hierarchy, focusing down from a highly general subject to a highly specific thesis: What Is Your Subject? If you were assigned a subject, write it here: If you were not assigned a subject, consider these strategies: #1. Look at the Table of Contents in the textbook for the course youre studying. Which chapter, part, or section names cover people, things, places, events, or ideas that you have found especially interesting? Your subject could be one of these general areas. #2.Take a stroll through the library or bookstore, paying careful attention to books, periodicals, and other media that are related to the course youre studying. Your subject could be one of the general areas covered by these materials. #3. Ask your teachers or professors for some guidance: In their experience, what sorts of subjects have their most successful students covered in their research papers? What sorts of subjects have they rarely seen a research paper cover but would find most interesting? List some potential subjects here (later, when you decide on your specific subject, circle 3 Copyright C 2007 Video Aided Instruction, Inc.All Rights Reserved What IS your TOPiC? If you were assigned a topic, write it here: For more information, call 1-800 -238-1512 or visit us online at videoaidedinstruction. Com. F you were not assigned a topic, consider these strategies for exploring various facets of your subject in order to focus on a topic: #1 . Think about an important turning point in the events within your subject. Your topic could elate to the causes or effects of this turning point. #2. Think about some fact you discovered that surprised you about your subject, something that thwarted your expectations. What made it surprising?Why did you expect something else? Your topic could relate to why your expectations were wrong. #3. Think about an oversimplification that is commonly made regarding your Us object. Your topic could relate to the complexities that undermine this oversimplification. #4. Think about a trend or story that connects several different events within your subject. Your topic could relate to connecting these events together, tracing the trend or story along the way. #5. Think about two or more situations or personalities within your subject that have qualities that are either similar or different. What caused them to have these qualities?What effects did these qualities have? Your topic could relate to comparing and/or contrasting these situations or personalities. #6. Take a stroll through the library or bookstore, paying careful attention to books, periodicals, and other media that are related to the course youre studying. When you find an interesting topic that is only addressed in about a dozen or so materials, consider addressing a similar or related topic in your research paper. #7. Ask your teachers or professors for some guidance: In their experience, what sorts of topics have their most successful students covered in their research papers?What sorts of topics have they rarely seen a research paper cover but would find most interesting? Your topic shouldnt be so broad that literally hundreds of books or articles have been written about it ( in which case it would be too broad, and thus large enough to be noninsured a subject). Your topic shouldnt be so narrow that only a handful of books or articles have been written about it (in which case it would be too narrow, and thus you would not be able to locate sufficient research sources).